Air-jet propelled conveyance



June 18, 1935. A. G. SANDEN AIR JET PROPELLED CONVEYANCE Filed March 13, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 18, 1935. A. G. SANDEN AIR JET PROPELLED CONVEYANCE Filed March 13, 1933 2 Sheets5heet 2 INVENTOR, A? H1 urG. Sanden.

ATTORNEY Patented June 18, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR-JET PROPELLED CONVEYANCE Arthur G. Sanden, Bellingham, Wash.

Application March 13,

6 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in airjet propelled conveyances, and has for an object to provide a plurality of main air nozzles in the bottom of the conveyance from which jets of air may be ejected wherewith the conveyance is propelled.

Another object of my improvement is to provide a particular shape of conveyance bottom adapted to retain the ejected air maintaining a compressed-air cushion on which the conveyance may float.

Another object of my improvement is to provide a particular shape of conveyance bottom adapted for propulsion by impulses from whirls in the said compressed-air cushion or in the medium in which the conveyance travels.

Another object of my improvement is to provide a shape of conveyance bottom suited to force the conveyance'upward by the forward motion thereof.

Another object of my improvement is to'pro vide bypass conduit nozzles in fluid connection with the said main air nozzles discharging above the same. 7

Another object of my improvement is to provide a valve adapted for closing the entrance to each of the bypass nozzles, for opening the same and for deflecting more air therethrough.

Another object of my improvement is to provide an air blower discharging into each pair of main and bypass nozzles ejecting air therethrough.

Another object of my impovement is to provide an air trunk or trunnel leading to the intakes of the several air blowers from a flaring inlet in the bow of the conveyance adding a propelling effort when air is being drawn into the same.

Another object of my improvement is to'provide a separately-controlled prime mover for each of thesaid air blowers.

Other objects of my improvement will appear as the description proceeds.

I attain these and other objects of my improvement with the structure and mechanism illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the hull of a boat which is shaped to suit my improvement, and

in which my mechanism is mounted, from which the deck has been broken away, Fig. 2 is an elevation view of a section of Fig. l on a medial longitudinal vertical plane, Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the bow of the hull, Fig.5 is a cross-section of the hull on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, Fig. 6 is a side 1933,- Serial No. 660,498

elevation of the valve for controlling the opening into the bypass nozzle and the operating mechanism thereof segregated and drawn on a larger scale,and Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the bypass valve;

Certain parts are broken away to show other parts hidden thereby. Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout.

With more particular reference to the designated parts: The sides 6, G of the hull are preferably shaped like the sides of a scow. The hull bottom is longitudinally concave with the flaring sides 24, 24 providing the side keels 23, 23. The bow slants backward and downward below the entrance of the air tunnel 25 as shown atB. From the side stem posts a6, at the bow also slants rearward toward the center of the hull as shown at i, l intersecting the part 8 and also the concave bottom 24. The stern 9 is substantially square.

The concave bottom has the sides 2t, 2t slanting upward and toward the center of the hull from the side keels 23, 23. The said slanting sides 24, 24 are intersected by a series of bottom planes shown at IE, IT, l8, l9 and 26 with the intervening steps I2, l3, M and it. Each of. the bottom planes ll, l8, l9 and 20 is subdivided into the shorter and steeper bottom planes 22, 22, 22, 22 and the intervening steps 2!.

The rudder bearing It is secured to the bottom of the hull and mounts the rudder l I.

The main air nozzles 30, 3| 32 and 33 are narrow openings in the steps I2, is, i l and i5 respectively athwart the bottom and enlarging inwardly. Each of the main air nozzles has a smaller bypass nozzle 34 branching therefrom in an upward and rearward direction discharging in a groove (134 in the angle made by one of the said planes ll, l8, I9 and 28 with one of the steps l2, I3, l4 and i5 respectively.

At the entrance end of each of the bypass nozzles 34 is a recess in which is disposed a sectoral valve 35 fastened on a shaft 38. The shaft 36 is mounted in bearings for oscillation whereby the valves may be placed in different operative positions, as shown in the nozzle 39 where the Valve 35 is entirely within the said valve recess and the bypass nozzle is entirely open, in the nozzle 3i where the said valve entirely closes the bypass nozzle and in the nozzle 32 where the said valve is disposed within the main nozzle defleeting more air into the bypass nozzle. On one end of the nozzle valve shaft 36 is fastened the worm wheel 31. A hand wheel it is fastened onone end of the drive shaft 39 on the lower end of which is fastened the worm 38 operatively engaged with the said worm wheel 31. Suitable bearings are provided to mount the drive shaft 39 for revolution and the valve shaft 36 for oscillation as shown in Fig. 5. One of the valves 35 is disposed in each of the said valve recesses in the main nozzles, as stated, and the shafts 36 and 39 are suitably mounted for operating each of the valves independently by the hand Wheels 40 disposed as shown in Figs.. 1 and .5.

There are four air paddle Wheels 4!, 42, 43.and 44, fully shown in Fig. 2, having shafts 45, 46, 41 and 48, respectively, fastened thereto. These air wheels are each suitably mounted in airblower housings and the shaftssthereofj are:

mounted in bearings for revolution. Thehousing a4! for the air wheel 4| is disposed to discharge air, drawn through the .opening 53there-r in by the operation of the wheel therein, through the nozzle 3e beneath the plane ll. Thehousing (242 for the air wheel 42 is disposedtodischarge air, drawn through the opening 53ther-ein by theoperation of the said wheel, throughjthe noze zle3l beneath the plane l8. The housinga43for the air wheel as is disposed to dischargetheain. drawn through the opening 53 thereinby;the operation of the said wheel,.through the nozzle 32 beneath the plane E9. The housing a44'for the air wheel 4% is disposed to. discharge air, drawn through the opening 53thereinby-the operation of the said wheel, through thenozzle 33 beneath the plane 20. It being understood that the air forced through the mainnnozzles will subdivide and part thereof will pass .tlnrough the bypass nozzles if the openings thereinto are not. closed by the valves 35.

It is desired that the several air wheels be separately driven. For this purpose the prime mover 49 is connected through suitable gears andcontrol devices to the air-wheel shaft-.145 for. re- Volving the air wheel ll, the-primermoverjll' is connected through suitable gearsand. .controldevices to the air-wheel shaft lfi torrevolvethe air wheel 42, the prime mover-,5!- is 1connected through suitable gears and controlqdevices-tto the air-wheel shaft ll for revolving;.;the-air--.- wheel 43, and the prime mover 52 is connected through suitable gears and control devices {to the air-wheel shaft 48 for revolving the-air Wheel 44. By this arrangement the several air blowers may be caused to deliver e ualvolumeswof air at equal pressures throughthe severalmozzles, these volumes and pressures; may ;vary .rela. tively, or one or more of the blowers may ,be.-not= revolved while the others are being driven. When the boat is driven at high speed with light draft nozzles 30 and even nozzle 3t also may be abovethe water level, in which cases .-it is not.- helpful to force air out of. the same.

The air trunk 25 is providedby the top wall.-26-, the side walls 2l', 2? and the hull'bottom;v The side walls of the air trunk flare outwardly at the inlet thereof as shown at a2], aZ'l.v The inletfiof: the air trunk preferably occupies thefulluwidth of the bow and about one third'of its depth.and is covered by the screen 28. The air trunk delivers air from the bow to each .of the blower inlets 53.

As illustrated, the conveyance used for .r-thepurposes of this specification is a boat built of, metal and painted wood.

In operation, the four air blowersdrawiairvinat the flaring opening at the-bow of they-boat: andeject it through the nozzle-shape openings in-the main steps in the concave-bottom.theree of. The suction produced in the air trunk by the operation of the air blowers tends to maintain a Vacuum at the bow resulting in a force operating to propel the boat forward. The ejection of the compressed air through the said nozzle openings results in producing forces operating to propel the boat forward.

The general shape of the whirls produced in the mixed air and Water beneath the concave bottom .by thesaid ejected. air isindicated by arrowemarked dotted lines in Fig. 2 as having been caused by air from the pair of nozzles 32, 34 .where the lower part of the larger whirl A provides forces for moving the boat forward by impinging .onzthe water and the upper part of the larger whirl also operates to propel the boat forward by impinging on the secondary steps 2| in theprinoipal plane E9. The air ejected from the smaller nozzle 34 is reversed in direction in the groove n34 and moves downward to prevent theformation. of adverse whirls in the angle between the step. M and the plane 19. The downward direction of this air current also provides a force operating to lift the boat in the water. Thesmaller whirl set up at B by the air from the nozzle 32 is not helpful in propelling the boat forward.

A separate prime mover is shown to drive each of. the air blowers. This is a simple arrangement .to-make them entirely independent in operation. This is desirable since the rapid movement. of the boat through the water may lift the bow and make the relatively slower operation of the forward blowers, or even their stopping, preferable.

For boats with considerable depth of draft it is preferred to use a reciprocative air compressor, rather than the rotary form illustrated The particular shapes of bottom and bowillustrated and described, and their equivalents, as useful for a water conveyance of light draft are also applicable to boats of deeper draft, bothin the speed-boat class and in the heavier carriers and also for submarines.

These shapes also are applicable to snow. and ice sleds, to .lighter-than-air dirigibles and tothe fuselage of. aeroplanes.

Having thus disclosed my invention, what I claimas new and. desire to secure by Letters Patout is,

, 1..A conveyancebody including side keels and side stem posts providing a concave bottom longitudinallyand a concave bow, a plurality of-inclined planes on the said bottom slanting downwardly rearwardly, and intervening steps connecting the said incline planes each havingva main and abypass air nozzle therethrough.

2. A. conveyance body including side keels. and side stem posts providing a concavebottom of the said body and a concave bow thereof,.a plurality .of inclined planes on the-said body slanting rearwardly downwardly, intervening steps connectingthe said inclined planes eachhaving a mainand a bypass air nozzle. therethrough, and acontrollable valve disposed at the entrance of the said bypass nozzles regulating the passage of air therethrough.

3. Aconveyance including a body having side keels. and side stem posts providing .a concave bottom and a concave bow to the said body, a pluralitypf inclined planes on the said concave bottomislanting rearwardly downwardly, interveningvsteps connecting-the said bottom planes each havingamain and a bypass nozzle opening. therethrough,. and an air compressor having fluid outlet connections with the said nozzles ejecting air therethrough beneath the said planes.

4. A conveyance including a body having side keels and side stem posts providing a concave bottom and a concave bow to the said body, a plurality of inclined planes on the said concave bottom slanting rearwardly downwardly, transverse steps between the said planes each having a main and a bypass nozzle therethrough, a controllable valve disposed at the entrance to each of the said bypass nozzles regulating the passage of fluid therethrough, and an air compressor having fluid outlet air conduit connections with all of the said nozzles ejecting air therethrough beneath the said bottom planes.

5. A conveyance including a body having side keels and side stem posts providing a concave bottom and a concave bow to the said body, a plurality of principal inclined planes slanting rearwardly downwardly disposed on the said concave bottom, transverse steps between the said principal planes each having a main nozzle opening therethrough directed substantially parallel with the said principal planes and a secondary nozzle therethrough directed upward substantially at right angles with the said planes, a plurality of inclined planes and intervening steps in each of the said principal planes rearward of the said nozzles, a controllable valve disposed at the inlet of each of the said secondary nozzles regulating the passage of fluid therethrough, an air compressor having outlet air conduit connections with each of the said pairs of main and secondary nozzles, and means to actuate each of the said air compressors independently.

6. A conveyance including a body having side keels and side stem posts providing a concave bottom and bow to the said body the said bow having an air-inlet opening therein, a plurality of principal inclined planes slanting rearwardly downwardly disposed on the said concave bottom, transverse steps between the said principal planes each having a main and secondary nozzle therethrough the main nozzle being directed parallel with the said principal planes and the secondary nozzle being directed toward and at right angles with the said planes into a groove therein reversing the direction of fluid expelled through the said secondary nozzle, each of the said principal planes having the said groove therein adjacent the said step thereon, a plurality of inclined planes and intervening steps in each of the said principal planes rearward of the said nozzles, a controllable valve disposed at the inlet of each of the said secondary nozzles regulating the passage of fluid therethrough, an air blower disposed forward of each of the said main and secondary nozzles ejecting compressed air from the outlet thereof through the same, an air trunk connecting all of the inlets to the said air blowers with the said air-inlet opening in the said bow, and separately controllable means to actuate each of the said air blowers.

ARTHUR G. SANDEN. 

